Let us all strive to serve Allah with the highest level of piety. Examples of piety are rich in the life of Rasulullah s.a.w and his companions. Let us all today ponder upon a piece of history that took place in the life of our Prophet s.a.w. May Allah open up our heart and mind to a greater iman.

My brothers,Today is the 27th of Rejab, a historic day in the Islamic calendar. It is on this day that Muslims commemorate our Prophet’s Israk and mikraj, a one-night journey from Makkah, to Jerusalem, and subsequently, to the heavens. This event is recorded in Surah al-Israa’, verse 1:

“Glory be to Allah who has taken His servant on a journey in the night, from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa, whose precincts We have blessed, so as to show him some of Our Signs: for He sees and hears all things.”

This event posed a challenge to the faith of Muslims in the time of the Prophet, a time where air travel is unheard of. How could the Prophet s.a.w, made the journey from Makkah to Jerusalem in one night, when it normally took more than a month to reach?

The non-believers of that time had a good time mocking and laughing at the Prophet s.a.w and Muslims, while some Muslims had a hard time coming to terms with the story. It has been reported that some even left Islam altogether.

In this confusion, Abu Bakar became the first Muslim who stepped out, and publicly proclaimed his trust in the word of the Prophet s.a.w, earning him the name ‘as-Siddiq’.

My brothers and sisters,

What Abu Bakar did, teaches us the value of strong faith. He defies public mockery and logic of his time to stand by our Prophet s.a.w. By doing it, he proved himself to a be a true Muslim, for a true Muslim believe in the Prophet s.a.w and acknowledge that the mind is limited, and there are things happening that are beyond the human imagination. Abu Bakar has been honoured in surah az-Zumar, verse 33:

“And the person who brings the truth, and he who supports it, such are the people who do right.”

My brothers and sisters,

The night journey as experienced by the Prophet s.a.w was unthinkable in the past, but the concept is not new to us today. Even the idea of space travel is acceptable to us now, thanks to the progress made in the field of science and technology that helps explain the wonders told in the Quran. Let us ponder what Allah has said in surah ar-Rahman verse 33:

“O assembly of Jinns and men! If you can pass beyond the boundary of the heavens and the earth, do so. Not without authority shall you be able to pass.”

My brothers and sisters,Abu Bakar has proved himself to be a man of great faith, despite the inability of the technology of his time to prove Israk mikraj took place. What about us today?

As armed as we are with scientific knowledge and explanation, it should help us in achieving a stronger conviction in Allah and the religion. For knowledge helps prove the authenticity of the Quran, the book of Allah. Allah has said in surah Fussilat verse 53:

“Soon will We show them our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that your Lord witness all things?”

My dear brothers sisters,

We have come a long way in our knowledge of science and technology. But let us not sit back and be complacent about it; there are more of Allah’s mysterious wonders out there that could be studied. While some mysteries will always stay as such for us, others can prove beneficial for us as creations of Allah.

May the story of Israk mikraj develop our love towards knowledge and spur us to continue our pursuit of knowledge. And may it, in turn, strengthen our faith in Allah and our Prophet s.a.w. And we pray that with the deep knowledge and Iman make us a person who contributes to the well being of the religion and nation.